Michelle Rogat
Sustainability Problems
Movie Notes - Blind Spot - 2008, Dislexic Films
Film Annotations
1. Title, director and release year?
Blind Spot, released in 2008, directed by Adolfo Doring with Dislexic Films
2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
For me it seems this film gets to the issues in the current system of how we organize society as a way to create a living or way of life, how to live, provide for self and family, focusing specifically on how we are managing our resources. This film argues that our society can't go on with the current way we have organized ourselves and the current system we are in and that the majority of society is blind to this problem.
They go on to list the problems that society is facing but that society doesn't see it, and explains somewhat why society doesn't see it because it's reinforced by our consumer culture, which is reinforced by corporations and government for the sake of "economic growth", and more. The problems facing society that they go over include what's listed below, but the documentary doesn't do a good job of explaining the issues or the options and solutions for them:
overpopulation
how to feed that many people
costs of society
in the future it will be harder to maintain the standard of living
social/political unrest
energy crisis
increased protein in diets will increase struggle to supply the food
society thinks growth is normal, and constant growth isn't at all
3. How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?
The argument isn't well made, but the documentary tries to show the blind spot by briefly explaining the issues in the complex system and explains some reasons as to why we don't see it, such as how our government might hide it's real reasons for going to war, and how corporations don't want you to see past the consumer culture because it wouldn't be in it's own best interest.
A lot of environmental documentaries have this feeling of doom and gloom with a majority of the focus on problems not the solutions, and this film did this completely. The film leaves you with almost the feeling like all is lost, or frustration of the blind leading the blind and getting nowhere. There wasn't much inspiration or hope created.
4. What sustainability problems does the film draw out? Political
"We couldn't fight WWII over again because it was fought on gasoline form the US." Some believe wars are fought by the US so they can go in and take resources before the country they are taking it from gets too developed and can negotiate for themselves, so the war isn't really about spreading democracy after all.
Legal? Economic?
Max Wolff - economist, in 1980's and 90's and even now, real wage isn't rising, but inflation has, so the ability for people to buy back into the economy decreases
Jevon's Paradox - after oil crisis of '70's more people switched to cars and the total effect is that more oil ends up being used than before.
Already the global grain production has peaked and is declining, and this relates to countries like China buying land grabs in Africa. Countries around the world are starting to wake up to the real threat that they will have a hard time feeding their people in the future, but these land grabs are a sustainability problem themselves. They are done between the governments of the country with no say from the people, and the people that live on that land will be forced off once food is grown there, so they lose their livelihoods without any compensation.
Food and energy are intertwined:
biofuel - corn for ethanol - interesting how the video mentions that corn ethanol would become feasible if the price of oil rose, because the EROI (energy return on investment) from what I remember in my environmental economics class is that it is NEGATIVE! So just because it is in the market doesn't mean that farmers should stop making food and start making corn for ethanol.
Technological?
"role of energy in future social evolution"
"oil is going to be virtually gone by the end of the 21st century" - US reached peak oil production in 1970
BPO/APO - before/after peak oil, peak oil describes the world's rate of oil production and that it will decline because it isn't a renewable resource - so it will reach an end
Mountain top removal now utilizes big machines that require only a few men compared to 100, so it's not like these endeavors are doing much for providing jobs. The jobs they do provide will be sourced to people who have experience or are unionized and brought in, not people in the local area.
Media and Informational? Organizational?
Sustainability Forum in 2006, held at George Washington University - Maryland representative thinks the transition off oil would be about 300 years, and we'll make that transition, but it won't bode well for all 7 billion people. If you look back at history, we were able to shape our oil industry within a few decades, and I believe that the same is possible for changing our energy industry from oil to being based off of sustainable sources.
Educational?
The whole approach to the study of history has always been to look at predecessors and note their improvements; never did the environment take a big role, but development and the economy always has. I found it very interesting that the way in which we study history was discussed because this suggests that the way in which we teach history should change as well, and it would be great if one day schools had to go over the history of our changing environment and our relationship with it. That would be awesome.
Behavioral? Cultural?
Our culture enforces the idea that we can always get more, but that's impossible.
Derick Jensen - "The Culture of Make Belief" - denying the truth, and make believe in order to maintain current status, very much like denial.
How to change behavior - Eike Weber, PhD - so much is automatic, people get incredibly impatient, blind spot is removed in either time or space.
I think that it's true that today we are so caught up in the rat race of society that we aren't mindful of what is going on and shaping how we live our lives. Change first requires that you become aware of the situation that needs changing.
Ecological?
global warming - melting ice sheets, positive feedback loops
one of the overall arguments in this documentary was that we are treating our resources as though they're limitless, and that's not true. We need to transition to using sustainable resources, and using them in sustainable ways.
5. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
The statement that we couldn't fight WWII over again because it was fought off of US oil I found to be very interesting, because heaven forbid, but what happens when the next world war does happen? Do we become more dependent on oil to fight those wars? Doesn't that leave us vulnerable? Perhaps that is why I have read that the military is very aware of climate change issues and have environmental foresight, because it's going to effect them too.
6. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?
I just remember the ending being in poor taste, I feel these films should always end on a note that gives a sense of hope, not despair.
7. What audiences does the film best address? Why?
I'm not really sure, because I don't think the film did that good of a job, and I didn't like the feeling it left after watching it. I guess someone who is blind to these problems may be able to see the issues for a change from watching it, but it doesn't do that good of a job explaining the information they are presenting.
8. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
I feel that if we were the target audience of this film, we could have been better drawn in by focusing on the "blind spot" and delve deeper into what creates it, because we don't have that blind spot, we see it. So how do we make it so that others can too. It could have focused on the ways in which you have inform others and make them aware of the situation, which I would find extremely helpful and useful.
This documentary has a lot of uneducated points/figures but was accurate with saying that the US doesn't have a leader/point man working on climate change and environmental issues. It's a very dramatic video that points at all of the problems without mentioning solutions and even those points weren't made efficiently.
9. What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.
This film basically suggests that whenever you have the opportunity you should let others be aware of their blind spot when it comes to sustainability issues and climate change, help them see the complexity of the issue and how it encompasses almost everything.
10. What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references.)
I'm really interest in the book that was mentioned, The Culture of Make Belief", by Derick Jensen because I too believe that we have the solutions and the ability to change, we just need to get to the actual changing part! So I am very interested in the ways in which to change the behavior of society.
Sustainability Problems
Movie Notes - Blind Spot - 2008, Dislexic Films
Film Annotations
1. Title, director and release year?
2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
3. How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?
4. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?
Political
Legal?
Economic?
Technological?
Media and Informational?
Organizational?
Educational?
Behavioral? Cultural?
Ecological?
5. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
6. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?
7. What audiences does the film best address? Why?
8. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
- I feel that if we were the target audience of this film, we could have been better drawn in by focusing on the "blind spot" and delve deeper into what creates it, because we don't have that blind spot, we see it. So how do we make it so that others can too. It could have focused on the ways in which you have inform others and make them aware of the situation, which I would find extremely helpful and useful.
- This documentary has a lot of uneducated points/figures but was accurate with saying that the US doesn't have a leader/point man working on climate change and environmental issues. It's a very dramatic video that points at all of the problems without mentioning solutions and even those points weren't made efficiently.
9. What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.10. What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references.)